Product Lines – August 2004

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Wow! Feel the chill! Am I nuts, talking about chill in August?
Even in my home state of Minnesota (just south of the Arctic), it’s summer and steamy
with mosquitoes the size of B-52s. However, the year-round conditions on top of Mount
Everest never get steamy| except maybe when a powered ultralight trike puts on an
airshow for hardy mountain climbers who made it to the world’s highest peak. This
news was first reported at the end of May by AvWeb.com, an Internet-only aviation
news outlet (bold emphasis is mine).
Headline: “MICROLIGHT CONQUERS EVEREST — So, what would you do if the turbo-intercooled
Rotax 914 engine powering your Pegasus Quantum trike, flying under a Pegasus
XL wing, was so hard to start that it flattened two batteries before finally catching?
Perhaps they were mildly hypoxic, but Angelo D’Arrigo and Richard Meredith-Hardy
chose to fly that engine (typically capable of 115 hp) over the world’s highest mountain
— towing a hang glider (a rigid-wing ATOS 2 from Icaro 2000) for good
measure. In Tibet on Sunday [May 24, 2004], microlight pilot Meredith-Hardy hauled
hang glider pilot D’Arrigo to the rarified air of Mount Everest and put on what must
have appeared to be the world’s highest air show for a group of climbers tackling
the peak through the more conventional method — on foot. But it’s a show that almost
didn’t get off the ground, according to Meredith-Hardy’s account of the adventure.
Weather is almost always the limiting factor on Everest but on Sunday the conditions
were as good as they ever get: clear skies and almost no wind. Meredith-Hardy said
the engine on the aircraft always starts on the first try but it wouldn’t catch on
Sunday. It wasn’t until repeated attempts almost killed the on-board battery that
they remembered that a plastic bag had been put over the air cleaner to keep dust
out. All those air-less aspirations had flooded the engine and it took a second battery
to get the engine going. …Extreme Low Temperatures And High Drama Once the
Rotax was running, it pulled the two aircraft up at a rate of about 450 fpm from
the 12,000-foot-high base camp. There was a lot of circling involved in getting up
to the height of Everest and enjoy the minus 40-degrees Centigrade temperatures.
At times, Meredith-Hardy noticed that D’Arrigo was being “bounced around” by turbulence.
As they approached the peak, the tow line broke and D’Arrigo was on his own.
Without the hang glider in tow, Meredith Hardy said the aircraft ‘shot up’ and he
did three fly-bys of the peak, before an audience of about six climbers standing
on the peak and four or five others inching up the final few feet. Meanwhile, D’Arrigo
was on an adventure of his own. He was supposed to make it back to the base camp
but instead ended up at a remote high-altitude scientific research station. He was
bruised from a rough landing (those higher high-altitude groundspeeds can be rough
on the legs) but was otherwise safe and awaiting a helicopter ride to the base camp
as of the last Web site posting.” If you want more detail, go to Meredith-Hardy’s
Web site at http://www.flymicro.com/everest/index.cfm
A little more down to Earth, USHGA Executive Director Jayne Depanfilis reports
from only a mile high (Colorado Springs) that in early June, “The USHGA’s towing
exemption has been renewed for two more years, through June 30, 2006.” That’s
certainly good news even while folks like Jayne, Bill Bryden, and Mike Meier work
at ASTM meetings to gain a more permanent foothold for towing of hang gliders (and
perhaps eventually paragliders). In a related note, Jayne adds, “It should be noted
that no towing-related fatalities were reported to USHGA during the current
exemption period. Therefore, no towing related fatalities were reported to FAA. This
is a good thing.” Additionally, Jayne reports, “The tandem
exemption expires October 31, 2004. I will be working on the request for the
renewal of this exemption soon. I will need to review and document any tandem fatalities
that may have occurred during the current exemption period.” Thanks to Jayne for
staying on top of these vital approvals from FAA.
Even lower but still on top of the mountain, New Yorker Greg Black reports
that he and his brother Charlie bought part of a mountain where he’s had a
launch for years? “It is done, signed, and now owned by the ‘Blacks’,” Greg reports.
He elaborates, “The launch area called “The North Knob”
is a 1,000 foot point that sticks out of the side of the Ellenville Mountain just
a quarter mile north of the “other” Ellenville launch site The launch site area is
about 10 acres and now has a 16 by 25 foot ramp facing WNW and because of the shape
of the ‘knob’ we will soon have launches facing NNE, and going all the way around
to West.” Greg also owns the landing area where
he has a flight park and training hill. The LZ is only seven acres but is surrounded
by about 50 acres of fields. “The whole piece we bought is 88 acres with a building
site that houses the trailer known locally as “the house thermal.” The trailer is
about 600 feet up the side of the Mountain and can be reached from the flight park
by way of the rail trail that actually borders the flight park. This trailer will
be used by the local hang gliding/paragliding club, called “NASA” as
its club house. Dues to fly and be a member are $60 per year.
Black further reports, “We now have all permits and approvals to erect our new 40
by 75 foot building with showers, toilets, and a 75 foot porch for getting out of
the sun and rain. A large pond has been dug next to the new camp area as well. FMI:
mtnwings@catskill.net or call (845) 647-3377.
Aircotec distributor Achim Hagemann now has the XC Trainer in stock.
Using the Top Navigator software (with free future updates), Achim reports, “The
instrument has created quite a buzz in Europe because of its size, weight, and performance.
It is the smallest and newest GPS flight instrument design on the market.”
An interesting and convenient feature involves a battery that can be recharged like
a cell phone using current from 110-240 volts. “No extra charger is required,” says
Hagemann. For 2004, he says the glide calculator is new, as is final glide calculator,
auto switching from map mode to thermaling mode, and adjustable vario sensitivity,
metric/English measurement switch, and a special intro price of $799. Look
over the English language manual at aircotec.net. FMI: aircotec@yahoo.com
Interested
in some other fun reading? You might enjoy a humorous — but genuine — comparison
of an F-15D Tomcat and a Wills Wing AT 125 paraglider by Stuart Broce, who flies
both. You can’t get much further apart on the aviation spectrum. Go to http://www.flyaboveall.com/willswing_grumman.htm
for the story.
So, got news or opinions? Send ’em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax
to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!